Leisurely Occupations

Get online, get fit, do nothing at all. And most important, find
more time to do so. In June 2001, that's what Americans said they
wanted from their leisure time.

In a poll conducted by Bear Stearns and Yesawich, Pepperdine
& Brown, an Orlando, Fla-based market research firm, 1,050
Americans over age 18 were asked, via direct mail surveys, about
past and future participation in leisure activities â€” a $535
billion a year industry. The results reveal favorite leisure
activities at home and while on vacation. The survey is an effort
to forecast the future of leisure-based industries such as fitness
clubs, theme parks, marine and cruise industries, and motorcycle
and motor sports businesses. The data released in a June 2001
preliminary report, is part of an 18-month long ongoing study; the
full results will be available by the end of the year.

The study aims to get a sense of which leisure activities are on
the rise (swimming and hiking), and which are on the decline
(racquetball and surfing) by approximating the â€œnet
gainâ€? and â€œnet lossâ€? of specific activities. The
rates reflect the difference between the proportion of Americans
who expect to participate more frequently minus the proportion of
American adults who expect to participate less frequently,
expressed in percentages. Thus, in the sporting leisure category,
outdoor jogging is the winner, with an expected net gain of 24
percent, while the big loser is ice hockey, with an expected net
loss of 3 percent.

Fitness appears to be a major growth area: 7 of the 11 top
sporting gainers are activities that build brawn and trim fat
â€” such as aerobic machines with a 22 percent net gain, and
weight training with a 19 percent net gain. Other top gainers are
social sports like golf, fishing, bowling and billiards. The losing
categories include recreational activities that require expensive
equipment or extensive training, such as archery, motorcycling,
surfing and windsurfing. However, these results should be put into
the context of these plain facts: 6 out of 10 Americans admit they
do not exercise regularly, and doubtless, others who say they do,
in fact, do not.

Overall, Americans emphasize that they want to have more leisure
time, even if they plan to do little with it: Nearly half of
Americans want to use their off time to relax and do nothing at
all. Thirty percent say they'd rather have more vacation time than
an increase in pay, and nearly 40 percent say they expect to take
more vacation days over the next two years. A majority of Americans
like to travel: 60 percent say they travel whenever they have the
opportunity, and 74 percent claim they like to vacation in places
they've never been to. But a significant portion of Americans don't
really want to go anywhere: One-fourth say they plan to spend more
of their vacation time over the next two years at home.

When they pursue fun at home, Americans often long to do so in a
low-key way. The biggest net leisure gainers include passive
activities such as reading, spending time with friends and family,
and calling them on the phone. And with the vast majority of
Americans eating out regularly as a favorite leisure activity, and
planning to do so more often over the next two years (a net gain of
8 percent), intentions to exercise more frequently might best be
heeded.